Our October recipe of the month is bringing a seasonal favorite, pumpkin, to breakfast. Pumpkin Oatmeal is easy to make and ready to eat in only five minutes. All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, heat in the microwave until the oats are soft (about three minutes), and serve. You can adjust the amounts of the ingredients up or down based on how many people you are making breakfast for.

For me, the hardest part of a recipe like pumpkin oatmeal is remembering to use the leftover pumpkin. A 15-ounce can has about 1½ cups of pumpkin puree. Since this recipe only calls for ½ cup, that leaves an entire cup of unused pumpkin. This leftover pumpkin should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used within a week. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to three months. I have to plan to make pumpkin oatmeal a few times a week to make sure the pumpkin puree is not wasted, or I can plan in some other recipes that also use a part of a can of pumpkin. Here are some from our website:

• Hot Pumpkin Drink uses 1/3 cup of pumpkin
• Overnight Oats use 1/3 cup of pumpkin
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes use 1/3 cup of pumpkin
• Pumpkin Pudding can use any amount of leftover pumpkin you have

Visit Spend Smart. Eat Smart for the full Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe.

Enjoy!